Grant Aims to Accelerate Utah’s Energy Solutions through University Collaboration and Student Innovation

A

A

A

Salt Lake City, UT (Jan. 13, 2017) – The Energy Research Triangle (ERT), a partnership between the Utah Science Technology and Research (USTAR) initiative and the Governor’s Office of Energy Development (OED), is pleased to announce the awardees of the 2017 grant programs.

Now in its third cohort, the ERT program offers two competitive grants, including the ERT-Professor and the ERT-Scholars grants.

“The ERT-Professor grant incentivizes Utah’s universities to collaborate, stimulating innovative solutions for Utah’s energy challenges while fostering emerging technologies,” says Ivy Estabrooke PhD, executive director of USTAR. “At the same time, ERT-Scholars creates a pipeline of talent for Utah’s energy industry by awarding highly-motivated young scientists who are passionate about making real changes in the way Utah thinks about energy.”

The ERT-Professor grant requires at least three Utah universities to collaborate on an issue specific to Utah’s energy and natural resource landscape. The ERT-Scholars grant encourages training of Utah’s next generation of energy researchers.

“ERT continues to support Governor Gary R. Herbert’s vision for accelerating Utah-based solutions to power our energy future,” said Laura Nelson Ph.D., the Governor’s energy advisor and executive director of the Governor’s Office of Energy Development.

Smart EV Charging – “Automated monitoring and control of electric vehicle charging infrastructure.” Project team Masood Parvania, University of Utah (Lead); Regan Zane, Utah State University and John Salmon, Brigham Young University.

The Utah Science Technology and Research (USTAR) Initiative was established in 2006 through the leadership and vision of the Utah Legislature and the Governor to leverage science and technology innovation to expand and diversify the State’s economy. USTAR conducts its technology based economic development mission through a diverse portfolio of programs and services focused in the three areas: principal researchers, competitive grant programs and technology entrepreneurship services.